A product manufacturing and distribution process often includes multiple activities performed by a variety of users, systems or entities. A batch of products are distributed to end users through a supply network, which may include multiple storage facilities and distribution mechanisms. A particular batch of products may be delivered to multiple distributor warehouses, from which the products are distributed to retail outlets, local distributors, end users, and the like. For example, a product manufacturing process may begin with partial batch quantities of raw material with subsequent stages of partial batches of multiple ingredients ultimately creating a batch of finished products. This manufacturing process creates a product batch genealogy that identifies which partial quantities of batches at various stages of production went into the production of a finished product.
Traceability of a product batch genealogy is important in many situations. For example, if a malfunctioning machine is identified, it may be important to determine which batches at any stage of the respective production process may have been produced on the machine during a certain time period. This information is necessary to recall these batches and related batches, including finished product batches that may have already been distributed to customers.
Typically, different systems are used during the multiple activities of the manufacturing and distribution process. For example, an entity producing the batch of products uses one system, a warehousing entity uses another system, and a distribution entity uses yet another system. Typically, these multiple systems do not support the tracking of a product genealogy throughout the manufacturing and distribution process. The product genealogy information is important when a user needs to identify the location and usage of all products in a particular batch. With existing systems, a user identifies products in a batch by manually searching through data associated with each of the multiple systems. This procedure is often tedious and time-consuming, which delays communication of the product information to users and entities needing the information.